COPY OF DEVELOPMENT PROPOSAL SUBMISSION Cover Note DP No. 482 School Lagan College Proposal To increase Lagan College’s enrolment number from 1200 to 1300 phased over two years from September 2017, or as soon as possible thereafter, with the school’s admission number remaining at 200. Minister’s Decision *Approve Development Proposal 482. Date of Decision 14 February 2017 Minister’s Comments As above* Additional notes n/a Information redacted Some information and personal data may have been removed in line with the principles of the Freedom of Information and Data Protection Act. Key Details .... redaction * refers to less than five cases where data is considered sensitive # means figure has been suppressed to prevent disclosure of sensitive information under rules of disclosure 1 From: Lorraine Finlay Area Planning Policy Team Date: 13 February 2017 To: PETER WEIR MLA Copy distribution below DEVELOPMENT PROPOSAL NO 482 – LAGAN COLLEGE/INCREASE ENROLMENT Issue: Development Proposal No 482 published 24 November 2016 by the Education Authority on behalf of the Board of Governors of Lagan College to increase the school’s enrolment from 1200 to 1300 (with admissions remaining at 200 places) from September 2017 or as soon as possible thereafter. Timescale: Urgent. The proposed implementation date for this proposal is September 2017. Financial/Resourc Capital Cost: Nil. Lagan College’s new building e Implications: was designed and built to accommodate a sixth form of over 340 places. Funding Requirements: A high-level funding estimate for the implementation of this proposal using 2016-17 Post-Primary Formula Funding values, is £234k (full year 2018-19) and £136k (in-year 2017-18). The funding, therefore, over 2 phased years would be £468k (full year 2018-19 and 2019-20) and £272k (in-year 2017- 18 and 2018-19). The funding requirement may be increased by other allocations, such as the Targeting Social Need (TSN) Factor and Premises Factor (Floor Area element), which cannot be estimated at present as relevant data is not available. FOI Implications: The contents of this submission are likely to be fully disclosable. Statutory Duty Implications: There is a statutory duty on the Department of 2 Education (DE) under Article 64 of the Education Reform (Northern Ireland) 1989 Order, to encourage and facilitate the development of integrated education, that is to say the education together at school of Protestant and Roman Catholic pupils. Presentational There may be local and Integrated Sectoral Issues: Bodies interest in your decision on this proposal. In the event of an enquiry, Communications Team can draw from this submission. A draft press release will be provided for your approval following your decision should you think it is appropriate to issue a Press Release during the Purdah period. Recommendation: It is recommended that you: 1) Approve DP 482 as published. This means that the enrolment number at Lagan College will increase from 1200 to 1300 phased over two years from September 2017, or as soon as possible thereafter, with the admissions number remaining at 200. 2) Agree that this submission (with appropriate redactions) can be made available on the Department’s website once the school and the EA have been notified and the Press Release issued. 3 Map 1: Lagan College/Pupil Catchment 4 Map 2: Lagan College and neighbouring Integrated provision 5 1. BACKGROUND Introduction 1.1 On 24 November 2016 the Education Authority, on behalf of the Board of Governors (BoG) of Lagan College, published Development Proposal (DP) 482 to increase the school’s enrolment number from 1200 to 1300 phased over two years from September 2017 or as soon as possible thereafter, with the school’s (Year 8) admission number remaining at 200 places. A copy of the proposal is at Appendix A. 1.2 It is the school’s intention that the additional 100 places created would be allocated to its sixth form provision and implemented on a phased basis with the enrolment number increasing from 1200 to 1250 places at September 2017 and to 1300 places at September 2018. The impact would result in its post-16 year groups (Years 13 and 14) each increasing from 100 to 150 places over two years to provide an overall sixth form of 300 places when the proposal is fully implemented. School and area 1.3 Lagan College is Northern Ireland’s the first planned Integrated school. Founded in 1981, it is a co-educational all ability grant- maintained Integrated post-primary school catering for students aged 11 to 19 years, situated in the Castlereagh hills on land leased from the National Trust. The school has a grammar stream with around 35% of its Year 8 pupils entering the school through an academic selection process. 1.4 In 2014, a new school building was opened which represented £25m of investment through the Public Private Partnership project. 1.5 In 2015/16 Lagan College had: o 1265 pupils enrolled of which 212 pupils were in Year 8; 1047 at Years 8 to 12 and 218 at Post-16. o 321 (26%) pupils at Special Educational Needs (SEN) Stages 1-4 and 70 pupils (6%) at Stage 5 of the assessment process. o 313 (25%) pupils entitled to Free School Meals. o 504 (40%) pupils from the Protestant tradition; 473 (37%) pupils from the Roman Catholic tradition and 288 (23%) pupils from other regions/or religion unknown. 1.6 On the Northern Ireland Multiple Deprivation Measure 2010, the Moneyreagh 1 Super Output Area (in which Lagan College is situated) is 6 placed 839 out of 890 (1 being the most deprived and 890 being the least deprived). 2. SPECIAL CONSIDERATIONS Statutory duty 2.1 There is a statutory duty on the Department (DE) under Article 64 of the Education Reform (Northern Ireland) 1989 Order, to encourage and facilitate the development of integrated education, that is to say the education together at school of Protestant and Roman Catholic pupils’. 2.2 DE must also be mindful of its statutory duty under Article 44 of the Education and Libraries Order 1986 and under Managing Public Money to ensure effective and efficient use of public funds. 2.3 In relation to a DP to expand a post-primary school, due regard also has to be given to the statutory duty within the framework of ensuring effective planning to meet future educational requirements for the area and alongside other relevant issues including the sustainability of the school in question; the ability of the school to deliver high quality education; the impact on other schools and the achievement of area planning objectives to reduce duplication and ensure appropriate provision to meet future demand. It is also necessary to consider the strategic development of the Integrated sector as a whole, rather than simply to respond to development proposals for individual schools. 3. CASE FOR CHANGE 3.1 Lagan College’s BoG has presented a case for change in support of this proposal (attached in full at Appendix A). It is noted that the school has not used the most current case for change template (which references the ‘Education Authority’ rather than ‘the Board’). However the appropriate procedures have been followed. 3.2 In relation to the rationale for this proposal, the case for change states that over the last 15 years the school’s 100 Year 13 places have been filled and it has been oversubscribed. The case for change also notes that in addition to turning away its own students who are wanting to progress into sixth form, it also turns away ‘significant numbers’ of external post-16 students wanting to enrol there. It is the school’s view that this proposal will extend the provision of post-16 Integrated education in the Belfast and South-Eastern Region. 7 3.3 The case for change notes that the school fulfils all six criteria set out in the Sustainable Schools Policy (SSP). DE’s assessment of the school in relation to the SSP is included at Section 5 in this submission. 3.4 The following supporting points are also made in the case for change: There is substantial demand for parents annually for the quality and type of Sixth Form provision provided by Lagan College and ...increased...frustration at the shortage of Post-16 places at the College. The College has a number of applications from schools that do not have A’level provision. There is limited provision for Post-16 integrated provision in the Castlereagh and East Belfast area...students...have the option of Priory College or Malone College. However, both schools require students to travel long distances. There is a community based and province wide need and desire for Integrated education. Area Planning 3.5 In relation to Area Planning, the case for change notes that: This proposal will address over subscription, meet parental demand and ensure a network of sustainable sixth form provision. Enable the College to provide the Entitlement Framework better and initiate courses which complement the range of general and applied A’ levels currently on offer. The College also hopes to complement the A’ level provision of schools in its Area Learning Community and beyond. Educational Impact 3.6 In relation to Educational Impact, the case for change notes that: The proposal would allow more of Lagan College’s own students to access Integrated post-16 education and to meet the needs of pupils who have been educated in the school from Years 8 to 12 by working towards full delivery of the Entitlement Framework. The proposal will enhance the quality and provision and raise standards. Meeting the need of Students 3.7 The case for change states that: The present sixth form comprises of 100 places in Year 13 and 100 places in Year 14, giving a total of 200 places.